Russian President Vladimir Putin underwent treatment for advanced cancer as recently as this April, according to a classified U.S. intelligence report leaked to Newsweek.

The outlet also reported that Putin survived an assassination attempt in March, which was said to have originated from the Caucasus Mountain region.

“Putin’s grip is strong but no longer absolute,” a senior U.S. intelligence official told Newsweek.

“The jockeying inside the Kremlin has never been more intense during his rule, everyone sensing that the end is near.”

But the intelligence officials acknowledged that the speculation over Putin’s health could be a case of “wishful thinking.”

Previous American intelligence about Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and terrorist Osama bin Laden being terminally ill turned out to be false.

“Is Putin sick? Absolutely. But we shouldn’t let waiting for his death drive proactive actions on our part,” an intelligence official told Newsweek.

“A power vacuum after Putin could be very dangerous for the world.”

Several of the officials cited Putin’s decision to keep physical distance from French president Emmanuel Macron during his February 2022 visit to Moscow — which saw Macron seated at the opposite end of a long table, as far as possible away from Putin — as evidence of Putin’s physical decline and paranoia about his health.

However, some have said that the distance was not related to health concerns, but rather an intentional decision Putin made to visually demonstrate his distrust of Macron and the West.

Just ten days later, Putin warmly embraced Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro when he visited Moscow, and seated the man directly next to him in a meeting.

Two months earlier, in December 2021, Putin hugged Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a visit to New Delhi.

In October 2021, Putin shook hands with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett when he visited Russia, and touched Bennett’s arm throughout the trip.

Source: https://worldisraelnews.com/report-putin-has-cancer-survived-assasination-attempt/?utm_source=jeeng

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Israel is concerned about an incident in Jerusalem, and it could be planning a “major operation in a sensitive area near al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem,” Iran’s Tasnim News Agency reported.

Iran termed this an “unexpected event.” This is language coming from senior Iranian media sources close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The IRGC backs Hamas.

Hamas and other extremist groups have encouraged Palestinian tensions with Israel in Jerusalem during Ramadan. There were clashes and Palestinian media incitement against Israel’s foreign minister and other leaders on Sunday night.

The familiar cycle of accusing Israelis of “storming” the Old City of Jerusalem is imminent. Hamas incitement claiming it has a “right” to fire rockets will soon begin. The goal is another war with Israel like last year, a conflict orchestrated by Iran to test new rockets and drones.

This could be the messaging behind the Tasnim article. Iran is outraged by the recent Negev Summit of Arab foreign ministers in Israel, and it needs to increase its profile in the region.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and the foreign ministers of the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Egypt, in Sde Boker, Israel, March 27, 2022. (credit: REUTERS/AMIR COHEN)
Tehran wants to use Palestinian suffering to increase these profits. The profits for Iran are not necessarily financial, but rather using proxies against Israel.

Iranian media claim Israel is concerned that a new “operation” in Jerusalem could “bring a new wave of dangerous conflicts and will lead the Hamas movement and the [Palestinian] Islamic Jihad to a very bloody and serious reaction.”

Israeli media have indeed reported that Israel could be ready for another conflict of the sort that took place last year. The driver behind these conflicts is Hamas and PIJ, as well as Iran.

Source: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-703194

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Foreign Minister Yair Lapid talked up Israel’s military capabilities amid talks between world powers and Iran on restoring the 2015 accord curbing Tehran’s nuclear program.

In an interview aired Friday to mark 10 years since he entered politics, Lapid was asked if Israel has the ability to strike uranium enrichment facilities and/or weapons sites in Iran.

“Israel has capabilities, some of which the world, and even some experts in the field, cannot even imagine. And Israel will protect itself against the Iranian threat,” he told Channel 12 news.

He also indicated Israel could attack Iran if necessary without informing the Biden administration, which is looking to rejoin the nuclear deal. Israel vocally opposed the accord, which is formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

“Israel will do whatever it needs to do to protect its security. And we don’t need anybody’s permission for that. That’s been the case since the first day we established this state,” he said.

Lapid also commented on the negotiations being held in Vienna to revive the nuclear deal, from which former president Donald Trump withdrew in 2018. Iran has since ramped up its nuclear activities in violation of the pact.

The foreign minister said there had not yet been a “capitulation” to Iran during the talks, and stressed: “Israel is not against a good deal, it is only against the wrong deal.”

He added that Israel has shown information to world powers “that proves the Iranians are lying” about their nuclear activities.

Separately, Lapid was asked about Israeli spyware firm NSO Group, which has faced increasing scrutiny in the wake of allegations that its wares have been used by countries to hack opposition politicians, dissidents, journalists and others.

“The [Israeli] license requirements for NSO and all other such cyberattack firms are simple: You can only use it to prevent terror and to prevent serious crime,” he said.

“If anybody used Pegasus, the core program of NSO, for other purposes, they will be brought to justice, and we won’t hide or cover up anybody,” Lapid added.

During the interview, Lapid also defended the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, amid accusations of zigzagging in its response to the emergence of the Omicron variant.

“When I compare us to what is happening in France, Germany, the United States, the developed nations, Israel is handing COVID significantly better than the world average,” he said.

Lapid praised Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s role, saying the premier was managing the pandemic “wisely and carefully.”

“Sometimes you have to respond quickly to changing conditions,” he said of the various policy shifts and restriction changes.

“We’ve not had a single lockdown, we’ve kept the economy open,” he said, referring to the coalition government that took office in June.

Israel’s top diplomat also noted there are currently fewer than 100 serious cases.

Lapid was also asked if he believed Bennett would hand over the premiership to him in September 2023, as the two agreed as part of their power-sharing agreement.

“Yes… I have faith in Naftali, yes,” he said.

Source: https://www.timesofisrael.com/amid-iran-nuke-talks-lapid-says-israel-has-capabilities-many-cannot-even-imagine/

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Biden and Bennett met in the White House in late August, but are not believed to have spoken since. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Bennett in early December, Defense Minister Benny Gantz met with Blinken in DC two weeks ago and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid met with Blinken in DC in October.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan landed in Israel earlier today and is expected to meet Bennett this week, and President Isaac Herzog later tonight.

Source: https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/biden-reportedly-hasnt-taken-bennetts-calls-in-several-weeks/

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(November 30, 2021 / JNS) European diplomats said on Tuesday that if Iran does not demonstrate seriousness in nuclear negotiations with world powers this week, there will be a problem.

Andrea Stricker, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and an expert on the Iran nuclear program, told JNS that “if Iran comes to talks with maximalist demands for sanctions relief and refuses to resume discussing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the P5+1 will quickly realize that Tehran’s game is one of extortion, and they could pivot to a united pressure front.”

The P5+1 is made up of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, plus Germany.

Diplomats from France, Britain and France said on the sidelines of talks in Vienna that the issue of what to do with advanced centrifuges Iran is using to enrich uranium remains unresolved, reported Reuters.

Stricker said, “If Iran asks for massive sanctions relief in return for a limited nuclear deal, talks could drag on for months.”

The Biden foreign-policy team may accept a weaker deal than the JCPOA “simply to check a box on the Iran problem and move on,” she asserted.

Iran has made irreversible knowledge gains regarding higher enrichment, advanced centrifuges and uranium metal production, among others, continued Stricker.

Interestingly, she said it is increasingly likely that Tehran has decided that it can live without Western sanctions relief and is using talks as a cover to move closer to the nuclear threshold.

“If so, what we could be seeing is a slow-motion breakout,” she said.

Two unnamed Israeli officials told CNN in a report published Monday—confirming a story first reported by Axios—that Israel shared intelligence with U.S. officials recently that showed that Iran is preparing to enrich uranium up to 90 percent.

While the P5+1 focuses on debate, they could lose precious time to unite and stop Iran’s advances, noted Stricker: “Iran could be positioning itself so close to making nuclear weapons that if Tehran chose to break out, countries mighty be deterred from intervening.”

Furthermore, through current inaction at the IAEA Board of Governors and U.N. Security Council, and in the absence of multilateral sanctions, “the P5+1 are narrowing their options to military intervention or accepting a nuclear-armed Iran.”

Regarding the possibility of a military attack against Iran’s nuclear program, Stricker estimates it not as an easy target, and it is unlikely that strikes could end the program. Facilities, people and capabilities are widely dispersed.

‘Talks are achieving no desirable outcome’

Efraim Inbar, president of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategic Studies, was pessimistic regarding the chances of a good result from the renewal of talks with Iran.

“We are on our own,” he stated starkly.

If Jerusalem chooses to strike, the situation could escalate dramatically and force Washington to consider intervening. Stricker sees Israeli sabotage of the nuclear program and alleged operations against infrastructure as middle ground.

For its part, Israel has been warning that it can make life very tough for the regime if Tehran continues its nuclear advances.

In a Twitter post on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett sent a message to the Western powers negotiating with Iran stating: “Don’t give in to nuclear blackmail.”

He went on to say in the video, “Iran won’t just keep its nuclear program. From today, they’ll be getting paid for it.”

A report by David Albright, Sarah Burkhard and Stricker for the Institute for Science and International Security said the IAEA’s latest report notes that Iran has enough enriched uranium enriched to nearly 20 and 60 percent to produce “a single nuclear weapon in as little as three weeks.”

“Even if Iran continues to permit the IAEA to service agency equipment, the verification process may now face such serious gaps that it is impossible to restore the IAEA’s continuity of knowledge of Iran’s nuclear activities, which is so vital to verification,” it stated.

IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi said as much, warning that it would soon be unable to effectively monitor material produced at the factory in Karaj because of a lack of access.

As Inbar summed up: “The talks are achieving no desirable outcome and serve as no more than a debate club.”

Source: https://www.jns.org/we-are-on-our-own-israel-plans-action-against-iran-as-world-stalls-on-nukes/

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Israel was the first country on Earth to fully vaccinate a majority of its citizens against COVID-19. Now it has one of the world’s highest daily infection rates — an average of nearly 7,500 confirmed cases a day, double what it was two weeks ago. Nearly one in every 150 people in Israel today has the virus.

What happened, and what can be learned about the vaccine’s impact on a highly vaccinated country? Here are six lessons learned — and one looming question for the future of the pandemic.

1. Immunity from the vaccine dips over time.

Israel had fully vaccinated slightly over half its population by March 25. Infections waned, venues reopened to the vaccinated and the prime minister told Israelis to go out and have fun. By June, all restrictions, including indoor masking, were abolished.

But Israel paid a price for the early rollout. Health officials, and then Pfizer, said their data showed a dip in the vaccine’s protection around six months after receiving the second shot.

2. The delta variant broke through the vaccine’s waning protection.

It was a perfect storm: The vaccine’s waning protection came around the same time the more infectious delta variant arrived in Israel this summer. Delta accounts for nearly all infections in Israel today.

“The most influential event was so many people who went abroad in the summer — vacations — and brought the delta variant very, very quickly to Israel,” said Siegal Sadetzki, a former public health director in Israel’s Health Ministry.

3. If you get infected, being vaccinated helps.

The good news is that among Israel’s serious infections on Thursday of this week, according to Health Ministry data, the rate of serious cases among unvaccinated people over age 60 (178.7 per 100,000) was nine times more than the rate among fully vaccinated people of the same age category, and the rate of serious cases among unvaccinated people in the under-60 crowd (3.2 per 100,000) was a little more than double the rate among vaccinated people in that age bracket.

The bad news, doctors say, is that half of Israel’s seriously ill patients who are currently hospitalized were fully vaccinated at least five months ago. Most of them are over 60 years old and have comorbidities. The seriously ill patients who are unvaccinated are mostly young, healthy people whose condition deteriorated quickly.

Israel’s daily average number of infections has nearly doubled in the past two weeks and has increased around tenfold since mid-July, approaching the numbers during Israel’s peak in the winter. Deaths increased from five in June to at least 248 so far this month. Health officials say that currently 600 seriously ill patients are hospitalized, and they warn they cannot handle more than 1,000 serious infections at the same time.

4. Israel’s high vaccination rate isn’t high enough.

The country jumped out ahead of all other countries on vaccines, and 78% of eligible Israelis over 12 years old are vaccinated.

But Israel has a young population, with many under the eligible age for vaccination, and about 1.1 million eligible Israelis, largely between the ages of 12 and 20, have declined to take even one dose of the vaccine.

That means only 58% of Israel’s total citizenry is fully vaccinated. Experts say that’s not nearly high enough.

“We have a very large fraction of our population who are paying the price for a small fraction of the population who did not go to get the vaccine,” said Eran Segal of the Weizmann Institute of Science, who advises the Israeli government on COVID-19.

Unvaccinated people helped fuel the rapid spread of the virus while the country remained open for business in recent months with few serious restrictions.

“That will lead to mass infection, which is exactly what we are seeing now,” said Segal.

5. Vaccinations are key, but they are not enough.

Israel is trying to slow the wave without resorting to a new lockdown, which Prime Minister Naftali Bennett says would take an economic toll and “destroy the future of the country.” The country is placing caps on gatherings, increasing hospital staff and pleading for unvaccinated people to get immunized.

On Israel’s doorstep, the vaccination rate is much lower in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Only around 8% of Palestinians have been fully vaccinated. Palestinians are wary of certain brands of vaccine in ample supply, like AstraZeneca’s, while Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine is in shorter supply for Palestinians. But the Palestinian population is not a source of transmission in Israel. Only vaccinated Palestinians are given permits to enter Israel and Israeli settlements.

As for the low rate of vaccination in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, “we don’t have a shortage of vaccine. It is the hesitancy,” said Randa Abu Rabe, a local World Health Organization official working in the Palestinian territories.

An Israeli health worker administers a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at a vaccination center in Jerusalem. Israel is the first country to launch a national booster campaign for the Pfizer vaccine.  Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images

6. Booster shots offer more protection — if you are one of the world’s lucky few to get them.

Israel is the first country to offer a third shot of the Pfizer vaccine in a nationwide booster campaign. Preliminary research in Israel suggests booster shots significantly increase protection against the coronavirus a week after a person receives the third dose.

Israeli national HMO Maccabi Healthcare Services, which conducted the preliminary study of 149,144 Israelis who received three Pfizer shots, said for Israelis above age 60, a Pfizer booster shot reduced the chances of infection by 86% and reduced the chances of severe infection by 92%.

The early data reflects studies by vaccine-makers Pfizer and Moderna and provides a glimpse at boosters’ effects in a real-world setting.

After reviewing data on breakthrough infections in Israel, the U.S. announced a booster shot campaign beginning in late September for anyone eight months after their second shot. The U.K. has promised boosters soon, and Turkey is offering Pfizer shots to those immunized with the Sinovac vaccine to help citizens planning to travel, since some countries will not recognize the Chinese vaccine.

Israel has lowered the minimum age for boosters to 40. “The triple dose is the solution to curbing the current infection outbreak,” Anat Ekka Zohar of Maccabi said in a statement.

Boosters are not being offered in the Palestinian territories yet, and the World Health Organization has called on countries to stop giving COVID-19 booster shots in order to help poorer countries get vaccinated.

“Israel very much respects the World Health Organization but acts according to local considerations and the interests of Israeli citizens. We help the world a lot,” an Israeli health official told NPR, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the issue. “If the U.N. didn’t secure enough vaccines for Chad, Mali, Myanmar and Guatemala, that doesn’t mean that Israel shouldn’t seek to prevent a pandemic from happening here.”

Experts warn if countries do not vaccinate their populations, more variants will develop, threatening even vaccinated nations.

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Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with Egyptian Intelligence Minister Abbas Kamel in Israel on Aug. 18, 2021. Source: Twitter/PMO.

(August 24, 2021 / JNS) Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi invited Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett for an official visit in the coming weeks, which would be the first state visit by an Israeli leader in nearly a decade.

The invitation, offered last week, comes amid the backdrop of ongoing violence emanating from the Gaza Strip, the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and the ongoing Iran nuclear threat, which Israel and its Arab regional partners perceive with alarm.

Zvi Mazel, Israel’s former ambassador to Egypt and a senior analyst with the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, told JNS that he views the state visit as a possible sign of warming relations between the two countries.

“It’s good news, especially that the invitation is for an official visit, which means an honor guard at the airport and lots of journalists present—a message to the Egyptian people that the government favors business with Israel,” he said.

While Israel and Egypt have maintained a cold peace since the signing of the Camp David Accords in 1978, their mutual ties are largely limited to top government officials and secretive visits. They also both actively work to keep the volatile enclave that is Gaza and the Hamas terror organization that runs it in check.

Samuel Tadros, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and author of Motherland Lost: The Egyptian and Coptic Quest for Modernity and Reflection on the Revolution in Egypt, told JNS that the visit is a positive step, and that “Egypt has always shied away from an open relationship with Israel and discouraged its own citizens from normal relations, as well as fomenting anti-Semitism in its own state media.”

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in 2015. Credit: 360b/Shutterstock.

“Egypt has not invited an Israeli prime minister to visit despite increased intelligence cooperation since Sisi came to power in 2013,” noted Tadros.

The decision shows that the Egyptian government is more welcoming of working with this Israeli government, despite its possible reservations about Bennett’s ideological background, he assessed.

However, Mazel said that interest in Egyptian relations with Israel is narrowly based, with one main goal being the selling and buying of gas. He said this is not normalization in the plain sense of the term but a move based on commercial interests.

‘Old pattern of Hamas attrition war against Israel’

The head of Egypt’s General Intelligence Directorate, Maj. Gen. Abbas Kamel, met in Israel last week with Bennett, who later tweeted a photo of the two. The prime minister said they discussed “diplomatic, security and economic aspects” of the two countries’ relationship, as well as Egyptian mediation vis-à-vis the security situation regarding Gaza.

For years, Egypt has served as a mediator between Israel and Hamas leaders.

Indeed, the visit comes as tensions in Gaza have flared up in recent days.

“Surely, Egypt is very important to Israel, and its role of mediator with Hamas is vital,” said Mazel. “Yet I don’t see any important achievement that would have changed the situation, and it seems we are going back to the old pattern of a Hamas attrition war against Israel.”

“Egypt only intervenes to stop Hamas attacks against Israel when it is afraid of a major flare-up that might endanger it,” he added.

Multiple fires broke out near the border with Gaza on Monday, which Israeli authorities believe were started by explosive-carrying balloons launched from the Hamas-controlled enclave, reported Ynet. In retaliation for the arson attacks, Israeli fighter jets struck several Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip on Monday night.

It comes as Israel and the United Nations allow the transfer of Qatari funds to Hamas-controlled Gaza.

Meanwhile, Egypt closed the Rafah border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday amid increased tensions with Hamas. It represents the first time the crossing has been shut down during a workday since early 2021, reported the AP.

Israel’s Kan news reported on Sunday night that Cairo is also furious with Hamas leaders over violent riots at the Gaza-Israel border on Saturday that resulted in an Israeli Border Police officer being shot in the head. Bar-El Hadaria Shmueli, 21, was wounded as Gaza rioters at a Hamas-run rally surged toward the security fence; he remains in critical condition at Soroka Hospital in Beersheva.

‘A mediator in the conflict’

The announcement of the Egyptian invitation comes as Bennett is scheduled to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House on Thursday. Egypt and Israel, close allies of America, certainly view power changes in the Middle East with concern, and the perceived success of the Taliban in the eyes of terror groups affects regional stability.

At the same time, the Biden administration has prioritized human-rights concerns as part of its foreign policy, a matter that Egypt has long been accused of violating by outside groups.

The Israeli media has reported that el-Sisi seeks Bennett’s help in making its case to Biden this week, said Mazel, which has been part of a working system that has gone on for years.

According to Tadros, the Egyptian invitation signifies “a realization in Egypt after the last Gaza war that its historical role as a mediator in the conflict is highly beneficial to its position and relations with Washington.”

He added that “Egypt may thus see its role in the Arab-Israeli conflict as again useful in overcoming criticism of its human rights record, especially with the Biden administration.”

Source: https://www.jns.org/amid-regional-upheaval-egypt-and-israel-seek-to-strengthen-ties-and-border-security/

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TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — President Joe Biden has invited Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to Washington next week to discuss Iran as well as Israel’s relationship with the Palestinians, the White House said Wednesday.

The long-expected visit with Israel’s new prime minister will take place Aug. 26 amid tensions with the Islamic Republic and Israel’s fragile truce with militant Hamas rulers in Gaza following an 11-day war in May.

The meeting will “underscore the United States’ unwavering commitment to Israel’s security,” according to the statement from presidential spokeswoman Jen Psaki. The leaders, she said, “will discuss critical issues related to regional and global security, including Iran.”

Bennett, meanwhile, described the upcoming meeting as important. His office said Bennett and Biden “will discuss a series of diplomatic, economic and security issues, especially the Iranian nuclear program.”

The Israeli leader made no mention of the cease-fire efforts with Hamas — even as an Egyptian mediator was in the country — or pledges by the U.S. and Israel to bolster Hamas’ rival, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The meeting next week will be the first between the American and Israeli leader — and Bennett’s first diplomatic trip as prime minister — at a sensitive time for the security of the Middle East. Politically, both men want to show a steady hand at the helm of their respective governments in the wake of the Israel-Gaza war and the collapse of Afghanistan’s government on Biden’s watch.

Both nations want to put the brakes on Iran’s conduct in the region and on its nuclear program. But they diverge on the key question of reinstating the 2015 nuclear accord. Former President Donald Trump pulled America out of that agreement in 2018.

Biden campaigned on restoring the deal, with changes to address Iran’s conduct. Bennett and his predecessor, Benjamin Netanyahu, staunchly oppose the accord and have vowed that Israel will act against Iran on its own if need be.

For Bennett, strengthening Israel’s relationship with its strong ally, the U.S., is especially important as he leads a coalition government of eight parties from across the political spectrum. Under the coalition deal, Bennett, a founder of the Israeli settlement movement, will step down in 2023. Centrist Yair Lapid, now Israel’s foreign minister, will then take the top job.

For Biden, it’s a chance to change the subject from the Taliban’s blitz across Afghanistan and the collapse of the U.S.-backed government there after 20 years.

While Bennett, who leads a small hard-line party that opposes major concessions to the Palestinians, made no mention of the Palestinians, the White House did — a reflection of human rights concerns for Palestinians among some in Biden’s party.

“The visit will also be an opportunity for the two leaders to discuss efforts to advance peace, security, and prosperity for Israelis and Palestinians and the importance of working towards a more peaceful and secure future for the region,” the White House said.

There have been no substantive talks between Israel and Abbas’ government in over a decade. With relations chilly, and the Palestinians divided between rival governments, the prospects for resuming negotiations appear slim.

But Bennett has indicated he would like to improve ties and bolster the Palestinian economy. This week, Israeli authorities postponed a meeting in which hundreds of new homes in West Bank settlements were to be approved. It was unclear if the delay was the result of American pressure.

The 11-day war between Israel and militant Hamas rulers inflicted heavy damage on Gaza. Some 254 Palestinians were killed, including at least 67 children and 39 women, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Twelve civilians, including two children, were killed in Israel, along with one soldier.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-middle-east-israel-47c7d2b6c1f60ac3365cdcf6c6657b7a

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Coronavirus ward, Ichilov Hospital Tel Aviv – Eitan Elhadez / TPS

Israel’s campaign to promote the coronavirus vaccine – now focusing on young teens – is going full steam ahead, in spite of statistics presented by government officials showing that half of those recently infected with COVID-19 were fully vaccinated, Behadrey Haredim reports.

Head of Public Health Services, Dr. Sharon Alray-Price, revealed the disturbing facts at a media presentation on Wednesday. According to her data, of the 891 cases of coronavirus confirmed in the last month alone, half had received both doses of Pfizer’s mRNA vaccine.

According to a report on Channel 12, in the months since the vaccines were rolled out, 6,765 people who received both shots have contracted coronavirus, and epidemiological tracing has revealed that an additional 3,133 people contracted COVID-19 from those vaccinated individuals. The 6,765 represent a little more than one percent of the total number of those vaccinated, which now stands at over 5,100,000.

It is clear that officials were already aware that the vaccine does not provide sufficient protection, as quarantine regulations for those returning from abroad have recently been changed, requiring even those fully vaccinated to self-isolate upon return from certain countries.

In addition, military intelligence has been warning of such a scenario at least since January, when a report was published that suggested a mass vaccination campaign would lead to vaccine-resistant strains of COVID-19 emerging.

Also on Wednesday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett convened a panel of experts together with the heads of the various health service organizations in the country.

“Our aim at the present moment, first and foremost, is to protect Israeli citizens from the Delta strain that is running amok around the world,” Bennett said at the meeting. “As we do so, we will endeavor to limit the impact this has on daily life in Israel. Therefore, we have decided to take immediate action in order to avoid paying a heavier price at a later stage. It all depends on us. If we are meticulous in adhering to the guidelines and behaving responsibly, we will overcome this – together.”

The Prime Minister then ordered officials to craft their decisions in a wholly transparent manner, based on the statistics, and using the following guidelines:

1) A national campaign to vaccinate everyone over the age of 12 is to be launched, with a parallel public information campaign to stress the importance of the vaccine.

2) The system previously used to cut off chains of transmission is to be restarted, in collaboration with local authorities, with additional resources allocated, in order to contain the spread of outbreaks at the earliest possible stage.

3) In the event that an average of 100 or more new cases are diagnosed daily for a week, the requirement to wear face masks will be re-imposed in enclosed areas. Even though this stage has yet to be reached, the Health Ministry’s current advice is for people to begin wearing face masks again.

4) Government departments whose work is related to containing the spread of the coronavirus will enhance their activities as necessary.

5) An information campaign to encourage vaccination and stress the importance of adhering to quarantine regulations is to commence on Thursday.

6) Enforcement of quarantine regulations for confirmed cases is to be enhanced, and harsher penalties exacted.

7) The Magen Avot program (in residential homes) is to be resumed immediately, with a target of conducting 10,000 Covid-19 tests per day.

8) The number of tests conducted in the general public per day is to be increased; the Prime Minister noted that there will be an unlimited budget allocated toward this end.

9) Regulations related to Ben Gurion airport are to be extended to all other portals of entry into the country.

10) All those traveling abroad will be required to sign a declaration before leaving, attesting that they will not be visiting any country where the risk of contracting coronavirus is deemed high.

11) The ban on tourists entering the country will be extended for another month, from July 1st to August 1st, with the exception of organized groups.

Source: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/308653

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A general view of the Bushehr main nuclear reactor, Iran — (photo credit: REUTERS/RAHEB HOMAVANDI)

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